“This committee will bring greater transparency and confidence to our wholesale pork reporting programme,“ said Rayne Pegg, administrator of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. “Once implemented, this market reporting program will benefit pork producers, packers, processors, retailers, and consumers.“

In a negotiated rulemaking, a proposed rule is developed by a committee composed of representatives of government and the interests that will be significantly affected by the rule. The interests significantly affected by this rule will be represented by the American Meat Institute; Chicago Mercantile Exchange; Food Marketing Institute; Grocery Manufacturers Association; Livestock Marketing Information Center; National Farmers Union; National Livestock Producers Association; National Meat Association; National Pork Producers Council; North American Meat Processors Association, American Association of Meat Processors, and Southeastern Meat Association (1 combined representative for all three per organizations’ request); United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, and AMS.

The first meeting will be held on 8 February through 10 February 2011. The meeting will begin daily at 8:30 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel, 7730 Bonhomme Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri, 63105. The agenda includes the discussion of protocols, timeframes, scope of the rulemaking process, and identification of key issues for a mandatory program of wholesale pork reporting.

The meeting will be open to the public without advance registration. Public attendance may be limited to the space available. Members of the public may be allowed to make statements during the meeting, to the extent time permits, and to file written statements with the committee for its consideration. Written statements may be submitted in advance to the address listed in the “for more information“ section below. Notice of future meetings will be announced in the Federal Register.